Lecithin

How to Take Lecithin

Lecithin
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Lecithin is good for you. How good? Each tablespoon (7.5 grams) of lecithin granules contains about 1700 mg of phosphatidyl choline, 1000 mg of phosphatidyl inositol, and about 2,200 mg of essential fatty acids as linoleic acid. It also contains the valuable fish-oil-like, omega-3 linolenic acid. It is the rule, not the exception, for one or more of these valuable substances to be undersupplied by our daily diet.

Lecithin tastes crummy. How crummy? Well, the lecithin that is available in capsules is the most popular. These are sold at health food stores and are admittedly convenient, but are also expensive. In order to get even one tablespoon of lecithin, you would have to take eight to twelve capsules! Since a normal supplemental dose is three or more tablespoons daily, that's a lot of capsules to swallow. Much less costly is liquid lecithin. A taste for liquid lecithin has to be acquired, shall we say. It is easier to take if you first coat the spoon with milk or molasses. After taking liquid lecithin, it is wise to have a "chaser" of any dairy product or, again, molasses. Beef and sheep brains are also an excellent source of lecithin, but don't expect me to recommend them.

Probably the best way to get a lot of lecithin easily is to take lecithin granules. Stir the granules quickly into juice or milk. They won't dissolve, but rather will drift about as you drink. Lecithin granules can also be used as a topping on any cold food. Ice cream comes to mind. Also, they are not bad if stirred into yogurt. If you put lecithin granules on hot food, they will melt and you will then have liquid lecithin.

If that "brains" comment a while back is still bothering you, please bear in mind that all supplemental forms of lecithin are made from soy beans. An alternate non-soy source is egg yolk. Generally, maximum benefit is obtained when you eat the yolk lightly cooked (such as in a soft-boiled egg).

By the way, the correct pronunciation of LECITHIN is "LESS-A-THIN. This is easy to remember because you are probably less-a-thin than you used-to-a-be.

Some people are concerned about research claiming that taking lecithin or choline leads to production of a toxic substance, trimethylene N-oxide (TMAO), that appears to increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and some forms of cancer. First of all, the studies did not test lechithin. Only choline was tested. Second, TMAO is a bacterial byproduct and its production depends on how good - or bad - your colon environment is. It may be a matter of diet, as meat eaters make more TMAO. Vegans make little if any. Eating high-fiber foods and taking probiotics increases populations of beneficial bacrteria while inhibiting bad bacteria. Third, your body makes choline-containing lecithin, and readily absorbs choline right into the brain. These indicate the dietary importance of choline. Evolution would not favor absorption - and certainly not manufacture - of a harmful substance.

Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html ) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html )

Andrew W. Saul

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